24 July 2014

This album has been a long time coming as far as I’m
concerned. Ever since I reviewed their last album, To Hide Her, a couple of
years ago, I’ve been listening to them fairly constantly., whether To Hide Her,
their 12 in 12 collection of EP’s or Children Of The Sun (A covers album of
retro kids TV themes). They all have moments of brilliance on them and are probably one of my favourite current bands, along with Eureka Machines, at the moment

My main gripe with To Hide Her was that they tried to cram in all aspects of their musical variance, from Drone, to Folk to Prog Metal and
Pop Rock. The end result was a bit of a Mish Mash that detracted from the great songs. The fan-funded What Kind Of
Creature Am I? dispenses with the multi-genres and sticks to energetic, catchy
and irreverent Progressive Metal. It’s all the better for it.

A brief burst of discordant noise heralds the arrival of the
first track, You and I Both Lose (But 5 Wins). It’s an upbeat song with a stop
start riff and memorable chorus. Many songwriters like to tell stories through their
lyrics but none really do so in the peculiar style that vocalist/band leader Mike Mills does. His habit of using conversational quotes through it can be
hard to follow unless you actually read the lyrics along. This song is one of
those songs. It tells the story of a man who once met a mysterious woman who taught
him an unusual game of cards. It might have hidden meaning or it might just be
weird. Either way it’s an interesting way to open the album.

Whatever Makes You Feel Superior is gloriously catchy Pop
Metal complete with parping keyboards and some big, Queen-esque harmonies in the chorus. Halfway through it
all goes off kilter with some heavy guitar noodlery that fades into a quiet
little orchestral bit. it all comes together at the end and then finishes abruptly.

The Thing With Me carries on both the pace and the Queen
influence. There’s a touch of Devin Townsend about the guitars too. It’s a fun and
ridiculous song that doesn’t really have any chorus to speak of but doesn’t
particularly suffer for it either. There’s a great little polka section, what
sounds like a balalaika and a Wurlitzer that fades into some heavy guitar chugging. It’s
a remarkable song and one of the best the band has done so far.

The title track comes next and begins with some all epic and
dramatic build up before kicking off into a surreal rambling story about a thing
that hatches from an egg. It’s an enjoyable song but confusingly surreal. The
humour is very much along the lines of Dr. Seuss.

There’s no sign of the pace letting up any as Smash It Out! kicks
off with a frenetic burst of urgency. Two breath taking minutes later it’s
gone. It its place is some well-earned reprieve in the form of Spoilt For
Choice. A slow Pop Rock song all about being old and wishing you did more with
your life. It’s a touching song that fits perfectly after so many fast paced
songs.

(L-R Amy Campbell, Mike Mills, Ricky Evensand, Lachlan Barclay)

Next is the succinctly named Whoa. It starts off slowly with
some jingly jangly verse before the chorus erupts with a cacophony of, yes,
whoas. It’s annoyingly catchy and, after a couple of listens, you’ll find
yourself bellowing it to whoever is in earshot.

Under The Future, We Bury The Past is the first real Prog
length song at just over seven minutes. It begins modestly with some lone
hammond organ and muttered vocals. it gradually builds and fades, often back to
minimalist strokes of the organ (snirk). Eventually the guitars chime in and it
heads off into power balladry territory with Mike making full use of the high
end of range with some impressive wailing. It’s better than it sounds.

Meet The Sloth is a behemoth of a song. Its twelve and a half
minutes of unabashed proggery. It’s an account of the adventures of a young
boy, let’s just call him Syd (Is that a Pink Floyd reference?). It begins with
some mandolin and is peppered with acoustic guitars and time shifts. Despite its
length it never gets dull and seems shorter than it is.

The final song is Geese Lycan (I assume that’s a bastardization
of Grease Lightning) and is probably the heaviest song of their career. There’s full on death grunts and blast beats
aplenty towards the end. It’s likely to be the only songs you’ll get to hear
about someone who’s part-goose, part-wolf, all man any time soon.

What Kind Of Creature Am I? is a brilliant album and
showcases perfectly how Progressive Metal doesn’t have to be pompous, serious
and dull. Toehider show that it’s possible to be technical and experimental
without losing sight of what makes a song great in the first place. Mike is a great guitarist and an impressive singer but it's his unique take on song writing that make Toehider special.

My one complaint is the fact that three of the songs
(Whatever Makes You Feel Superior, Smash It Out and Whoa) have all been
previously released, albeit not on any album. I’d have liked to have seen one
or two of them left off in favour of another new song. Still, all are excellent
and deserve to be heard so maybe it’s for the best.

I can’t recommend this album (or band) highly enough to
anyone who likes heaver stuff and is looking for something a little different. M

23 July 2014

I have a feeling this review
will not take long, but the album is not a short release. It is also a
surprise that I am doing this review at all. This is the fifth album from
American black metal Wolves In The Throne Room and it has been billed as a companion
piece to their last release 'Celestial Lineage'. At the time of that
release, the band said that they were finished and not releasing anything else.
However, here we are four years on and another album is released. A brief
history lesson - the band was formed in 2003 and consists of Aaron and Nathan
Weaver, plus whoever they want to help them at the time. In metal
circles, there is sometimes spoken about in hushed tones; almost as if they
were super natural beings or deities who would kill if they wanted to do
so. They have a strange aura about them and they love to use natural
imagery and organic sounds in their work. I have to say from the start
that the cover is one of the prettiest I have seen this year, but now we have
to look at the music and see if it delivers.

Now from the outset I would
like to point out that there is no metal riffage on this album, it is all very
atmospheric and brooding soundscape, some guitars are on evident on this album;
just not as many as some of you will like. If you are expecting the band
of old, you will be disappointed; but not as much as you would think. As
the band has always said, they will play Black Metal on their own terms.
The opening track is called "Turning Ever Towards The Sun" and much
like Ulver, it dispenses of the tradition aspect that has until now been the
mark of the band, the keyboards and drone material is all seeing from the
outset and the eleven minutes plus of the song disappears in an instant.
I felt like I blinked and it was over, it was that hypnotic and the feeling of
an almost organic nature are undeniable. The lack of traditional black
metal guitar is actually not a disadvantage for this track. But fear not
dear corpse paint fiends! Behold the guitar does appear on "Initiation at
Neudeg Alm", like a distant rumble of thunder it falls on the new plains
being carved from your mind. It sounds like Sunn 0))) trying to make an earthquake
in the Grand Canyon, it is a strange and epic track.

"Bridges Of Leaves"
is the shortest track on offer here, coming in at just over five minutes.
It continues the foundations that have been laid by the first two tracks, with
those haunting melodies and sonic vibrations. The band continues to
abandon their own tradition sound head towards a different route, something
more natural to their own thoughts and dreams. "Celestite
Mirror" is just shy of fifteen minutes and represents a third of the album;
so it is an important track in terms of the whole record. The band seem
to have left everything behind at this point, there is stuff on here which I am
sure will make the most diehard black metal fans either combust into flames or
break out in joy. For me, it is just that shade too loose and whilst the
previous works on the album were awe inspiring, this track is just a good piece
of music; it is not bad, but it does not feel right. It also has a
natural break point around the nine minute point which could have split it into
two and made two really interesting works; but this is a personal thing here
and does not take away from the brilliant work on offer. Also, in the
second half of the track the rumble of guitars fill the speakers and make for
thunder against the peaceful landscape. Ending the album is
"Sleeping Golden Storm", another long piece of work just over nine minutes
in length. It ends the album on another piece of relaxing and thought
provoking music that will make you think about the bigger picture for a while
and let yourself drift from your surroundings.

This is the sort of music
that fills my dreams at night, it is so relaxing and I can feel all tension
being removed from my body. Honestly the more I listen to the album, the
more I find that impresses me about the concept as a whole. What I did
not point out at the beginning of the blog is that I have not really been the
biggest of fans of WITTR, they have always came across as a bit aloof and up
their own arses; it is not that their music is not of a high quality, it is
just that the band themselves just did not do themselves any favours in their
interviews, shows or delivery. This album does a lot to change that, as
they have started to change. Just like Ulver before hand, they are
morphing into something else that will leave their previous shell behind.
This is not going to be for everyone, but it is worth the effort. I will
also concede that whilst I like it, I would not put it on out of choice unless
I wanted to feel my muscles unknot. However anyway you look at it, it is going
to be interesting seeing what they do next.

Steven Patrick Morrissey is something of an enigma/twat/dictator/miracle
worker to me; he both fascinates and frustrates me in equal measure. Some
of his work is like manna from heaven, I swear to this day every time I hear
"Speedway" from 'Vauxhall
& I' (blog cleverly linked here) I am took back to that first heart wrenching
moment when I first heard it. Yet this is the same man who released
"King Leer" from 'Kill Uncle' which makes me want to put holes
through walls. So after the last few years of cancelled tours, weird
support artist, hospitalisation, autobiographies and general rumours of
stopping venues selling meat where he sings; it is nice to get back to
listening to a new album from the man. The general feeling in the press
is that this album is a return to form and one of his best ever; which is what
they say with each of his album and it usually turns out to be not as good at
the pundits are saying (sorry Morrissey fans, but 'Years Of Refusal' and
'Maladjusted' are nowhere near as good as 'Vauxhall & I' or 'Viva
Hate'). It is sort of like when a Slayer album is released, everyone is
hoping for 'Reign In Blood' part 2 and they are sad when it is not quite there.
But this is before the fact, time to listen to the latest release....

Starting off with the title track of the album, Morrissey comes out with
quite possibly one of the most slowly burning tracks that I have ever
heard. When I first heard I was ready to break the laptop with distain,
it was plodding, dower and dull; however the more I listened to it, the more I
digested the lyrics which are some of the most barbed words he has written since
Thatcher (may she burn for what she did) was alive and torturing the nation,
the more apparent it became that this is one of the darkest and subtle of
openings to an album that I have ever heard. A protest song about how governments
and shadowy organisations are keeping the world in the dark and how we are all
part of the problem, it is easily one of the best songs since "Irish
Blood, English Heart". "Neal Cassidy Drops Dead" is next and
with a distorted punk rock/krautrock feel, another rant against humanity and
the ever increasing population of the world, you can sense that Mr M is not a
family man. The vitriol that comes out of his mouth in this song is quite
possibly one of the most disturbing that I have hear from Morrissey in a long
time. Next is the seven minute plus "I'm Not A Man" starts off
with a soundscape that is of background noise and feedback from the guitar for
the first two minutes which gives way to a gentle keyboard lament about not
being a man if it means you have to be a dick. I have to applaud the
lyrics here, he nails it on the head what the modern media say a man should be;
it just states what I feel myself in this area and it is nice to have a kindred
spirit in the world (even if I disagree with him on other things). The
whole song builds towards a delicate and straight lined finish, the bitter way
he mentions meat and cancer is just like the king trying to turn the tide;
honourable and heroic, destined to fail but such a ending.

"Istanbul" follows on from that long and epic track, the song
itself is decent with a swagger that would not be out of place in a mods and
rockers film; it is not quite as good as "I'm Not A Man" but it has
its own self confidence. The keys mixing in with the guitar sound that
cross musician boundaries to steal a unique sound that makes the listener stand
to attention. "Earth Is The Loneliest Planet" comes out with an
acoustic opening, a mixture of cop drama song and verses about the state of
humanity that would end the world in a heartbeat if it could. It is the
first song on the album to leave me cold, but it is not a bad song; I am just a
little picky and this one doesn't do much for me. "Staircase At The
University" is a hell of a lot better, it has a much more basic approach
to the world, a tale about a death in an accident in a university (a subject I
wrote about many years ago, but that is a different story). It is back to
the story telling, this is the Morrissey that I love the listen to; the music
and lyrics are in complete contrast to each other. I can imagine this
going across like a Vegas number with Morrissey in his shiney golden jacket
whilst the dancers are around him. The darkness of the lyrics is
brilliant and such a fantastic ode to the pressures of the world on the youth.

"The Bullfighter Dies" is next and much like "Earth Is The Loneliest
Planet", the music does not set my world on fire. However, this ode
to the death of bull fighters and the cruelty of the sport are
interesting. But cheering the death of a person is a bit strange; unless you’re
a passionate support of animal tights, which Morrissey has on countless time
shown his unlimited support for. Thankfully it is also the shortest song
on the album, leading onto "Kiss Me A Lot". Again it is when
Morrissey goes for the simple that I find myself falling under the charm of his
music. The song isn't too hard, it is not complex and it makes for a fantastic
addition to his arsenal; watch him ignore it if I ever go to one of his
shows. "Smiler With Knife" is a creepy number, acoustic for the
most part and sinister in both sound and lyrics; it is another upside down song
that shows that when he applies his mind to it, he can scare the living
bee-jesus out of his audience.

"Kick The Bride down the Aisle" has been purposed in some circles as the fifth single to be taken off this
album to be released (ironically two of the others are the strangest choices -
"Earth Is the Loneliest Planet" and "The Bullfighter
Dies"), and it suits his crooner persona that has been developing over the
years. It is a song that sounds like a twisted tribute to Scott Walker,
with the awkward and mournful lyrics making the bitterest heart melt into a
puddle of joy and sorrow. It may not be my favourite song on the album,
but it is one of the strongest on offer here. "Mountjoy" is the
follow up and it actually makes for a perfect follow on to "Kick The Bride
Down The Aisle". It is a strange mirror to the world and the worlds view
on joy, it is a fucked up number to say the least and if the album had have
ended on this twisted note it would have been a brilliant place to end.
However it does end on "Oboe Concerto" which is actually the best
track for ending the album. With a strange sax solo going on in the back
ground, it sounds like the last bar in the world heading toward armageddon with
the flood just crashing through the door. It is a final dark slice that
is not as dramatic as "Speedway" but it is a perfect ending to this
album.

For once, the press is actually right; this is one of Morrissey's strongest
releases, quite possibly the best since 'Vauxhall & I'. It is not better
than that record, but that was an album created in the face of his world
falling apart. This album is created when his body has been letting him
down in places, the world is going to hell in a handbag of shite and everything
is starting to shift toward the endgame that is always being threatened.
A few of the numbers are not quite up there with his best (hence why it is down
a few marks), but it would not be a Morrissey album without a few moments of
self indulgence; it would be like a day without a night. But if this is a
start of another green patch for the former resident of Manchester, then it is
a great place to start.

8 out of ten - Oh, now you
have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart

Month 3 of Ginger’s Year-long project has been released
and, once again, features three brand new songs and two old unreleased or demo songs.
I’ve been so slow getting round to reviewing this that it’s almost time for
Month 4. How time flies for a lazy man.

Of all the songs released through G.A.S.S., I’d say these
five were the most eclectic set of songs so far. Everyone is different to the
other four. There’s also echoes of older songs in some of them too but more of
that as I get to them.

The first song, and lead track, What Would Henry Rollins
Do? is a spiteful diatribe against an unnamed person and what Ginger should do
about their situation. Towards the end of the song it deals more with what
happened when Ginger contacted Henry Rollins about guest vocals on the song.
Henry’s response was clear, concise and pointedly negative.

Whilst the majority of the song is driving punk, the
verses are snarling, ranting, spoken word, similar to How I Survived The Punk
Wars off of his Hey! Hello! album. In fact, the melodies of both songs’ verses
are almost the same, different words obviously but very similar flow.

After the first couple of listens I wasn’t mad struck on
this song at all and thought it was one of Ginger’s weaker songs but, as I’ve
been singing the chorus all week, that probably isn’t the case.

The second song,Do You?, is a no-frills, mid-paced rock
song about depression and suicide. It sounds surprisingly upbeat for such
matter and the falsetto chorus is nicely infectious. It’s a typical Ginger song
that needs a few listens to really appreciate.

Petite Morte (There seems to be some confusion over the spelling of both words) is the final song and features Yolanda Quartey
(from Bristolian Country band, Phantom Limb) on lead vocals. It’s a beautiful
song regarding the death of a husband and father. Yolanda’s vocals are warm,
powerful and emotional. The song is really sad and inspiring in equal parts and
will squeeze a tear or two out of you if you aren’t careful.

The first of the unreleased songs is a song that was
originally written by Ginger with the intent of Alice Cooper recording it,
though that never happened it’s called Friction In My System andsounds exactly like it should be sung by
Alice Cooper. It also actually reminds me of early Wildhearts stuff. It’s
incredibly cheesy but all the more fun for it.

As this song was never used, I guess Ginger thought he
may as well get some use out if it because the man guitar line also cropped up in
Bulb from Valor Del Corazon.

The final song is Patience & Gratitude; it’s a mostly
instrumental psychedelic piece that sounds like the theme of some trippy
cartoon from the 70’s or 80’s. Towards the end there are some nice gang vocals
that repeat the same two lines to good effect. It has a twangly little tune
running through it that has, again, since been reused, this time as the melody
in the verses of That’s A Nasty Habit You’ve Got There (from the first Month of
G.A.S.S.).

I can see why it was never included on anything as t’s hard
to see where it would fit. It’s an interesting song all the same.

Whilst there has been better songs in previous months, as
a whole I think thiis is probably the best month so far in the G.A.S.S. project
and I’m really looking forward to the next batch (Which isn’t that far away
now, thanks to my tardiness).

There is actually a video for one of the songs on Youtube this month, however I'm not going to bother posting that. Instead here's a video by Phantom Limb. It's the title track from their last album The Pines.

Fourteen albums of parodies.
That is a lot of comedy to keep your brand fresh and relevant, but somehow
Alfred Mathew "Weird Al" Yankovic has been doing this for what seems
like a Millennium. When I was younger I was given a tape of his works (as
well as some songs which were not by Weird Al, something that happens all too
often), it was a comedy gold mine. For some people, they think they have
made it when he parodies their music (Nirvana were one of these acts), other
artists don't like his versions (Coolio, James Blunt (or at least his people))
and some people (Prince) just flat out refuse to let his versions of their
music to be heard by the world. However, he has always managed to have
one or two songs on each album that take a song and make it into something
completely different - such as "White & Nerdy" which took
"Ridin' " originally by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone, the
new song was make a nerd sound like a pimp before the Big Bang Theory made it
popular. But the times have changed and Weird Al has been doing this for
so long, there is always a danger of releasing a sub standard album or just
missing the mark. So before a do can be ignored or made into a strange
statement, let’s see if this fun should be compulsory.

Now I will admit to being a
little behind the charts, so some of these parodies just pass me by a little -
i.e. I am not bothered with the latest trend setting band/artist willing to
'take one for the team' to make some money fast. So you will have to bear
with me when I sound like a grumpy old man, wondering why they cannot listen to
some Pearl Jam or Fishbone. So when I hear a parody of "Fancy"
by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX, I have no reference point to the original
material; having checked out the original for the blog I can say my life is the
same for hearing it as it was beforehand. But "Handy" using the
music and changes the lyrics to a tale about being a handy man. It is a
funny song and already a thousand times better than the source material.
This is the gift that Weird Al has; he can make something that seems a little
dull to the listener fun. "Lame Claim To Fame" is an original song in
the style of Southern Culture On The Skids (another band I have no idea about,
but I am guessing from the song that they are one of the Southern Rock bands
who worship Lynyrd Skynyrd). It is a song about all those silly claims
that people have to knowing a famous person without really knowing the person,
it is another funny number but it does fade with repeat listenings. Next is
"Foil" which is a song that I actually know beforehand! Hazar for the
grumpy man!!! This is a parody on "Royals" from Lorde, and it
is the stand out track of the album. I was laughing out loud; the bit
about aliens is brilliant. Check out the video at the end of the blog!

"Sports Song" is a
song which is sort of lost on me; it is a big band song which sounds like a
song played before an American Football game. The lyrics are funny, but
the music is lost in translation for me. Also, Ben Folds nailed it better
with the start of 'Effington". "Word Crimes" is another
gem here, based on the slightly rapey song called "Blurred Lines" by
Robin Thicke (never has a man be so perfectly named) it is an attack on the
grammatically impaired (something that is levelled at this blog regularly and
with good reason - dyslexia is a horrible disease). Even though I am
responsible for most of these crimes at various points in my life, I was
laughing out loud - especially at the Prince reference. Well played Al,
well played. "My Own Eyes" is a song in the style of the Foo
Fighters, whilst the music is pretty much spot on for Mr Grohl the lyrics are
just not up to the usual standard that Mr Yankovic is capable of delivering.
It is a shame as he is usually spot on. Next is the highlight of most
Weird Al albums; the Polka number. This one is called "Now That Is
What I Call POLKA!" and features some of the following artist - Miley
Cyrus, Daft Punk, Will.I.Am, Foster The People, Gotye, Pharrell Williams, One
Direction, LMFAO and others. It is basically a mega mix to polka music
and it is a brilliant as the other polka songs that he has released. It
will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day once you hear, it has been
for me since I heard it.....Weird al, you git!!!!

"Mission Statement"
is another original song; this time is the style of Crosby, Stills &
Nash. Now I love CS&N (better when Neil Young was with them), the
lyrics about mission statements from big companies (some of which I have heard
and that make me want to hurl) is a complete contrast to CS&N musical style
and make this song something dark, subverted and brilliant. For Mr
AF"W" Yankovic, this is a strange mix and it also shows that he might
have accidently made his most complex number by pure chance.
"Inactive" is based on "Radioactive" from the Imagine
Dragons, this is another band that has passed me by, but I had heard the song
on various adverts so I have some reference point at least. This is
another ode to the lazy man who cannot be bothered to do anything, but it was
done much better in his James Blunt parody "You're Pitiful".
Also, musically this sucks balls. It is something that cannot be levelled
at Weird Al, but Imagine Dragons aim to be epic and sound pretentious.
"First World Problems" is another original, this time in the style of
the Pixies. This is much better and has the right combination of comedy,
music and a healthy dose of the strange. Next is "Tacky" which
is the last parody on the album, this one is based on "Happy" by
Pharrell Williams (who happens to be the most used artist on this album - his
vocals appeared on "Blurred Lines", "Get Lucky" and
obviously "Happy"). The song is about a man/woman who has the
tactile ability of a brick in the face. It is a funny number, but again
like "Lame Claim To Fame" it loses its appeal on repeat
listenings. Ending the album is "Jackson Park Express" which is
based on the style of Cat Sevens (aka Yusuf Islam - his preferred name). This
track is really lost on me and whilst it is played well, the final product just
fails with me.

What we have here is the
classic Weird Al album; some of it is top draw and really clever/funny/insane,
whilst other parts are destined to be skipped and forgotten after the first
listen. The polka number and some of the parodies work incredibly well,
but overall this album is nothing without the viral/visual campaign that came
before it. But you have to congratulate Mr Yankovic on still releasing
albums this long into his career and finally scoring a number 1 in the
USA. Shame it is on an average album, but there is some choice cuts for
the next Weird Al compo tape/CD/playlist that his fans (including myself) will
create.

22 July 2014

This band has a special place
in my heart. I will remember a few years just spending a full winter
listening to 'Ashes Against The Grain' and it was just perfect for the mood I
was in. It was dark and beautiful with a large slice of epic metal to
send shivers down the spines of weaker mortals. The whole package was
just a delight and every release since has also been rather spectacular. Also,
they move at the pace of a glacier creeping across the sea in an ice age.
They may not be the most quickest or stomping of bands, but they have always
been one of the most beautiful for me. So the fact that they released
another album is a cause for celebrations in my books, but before I light the
fireworks and release the balloons I have to listen to the album first.

Never a band to shy away from
epic opening tracks, the band open with the ten minute plus "Birth And
Death Of The Pillars Of Creation" which starts with a simple guitar
opening, the plucking of strings in a mournful way breaks into the sort
of riff that sounds like a bomb exploding in the landscape of your mind.
It take a minute for the noise to come and it takes a further four minutes
after that for the first vocals to be unleashed onto the listener like a whip that
will tear chunks out of your soul. If your idea of music is a short,
short blast of noise and fury ala Discharge, you will have to look
elsewhere. But it will be your lose as this is an epic and corrosively
beautiful opening; morphing between the contrasting shades of doom metal fury
and cold acoustic frozen waste lands. Coming straight afterwards is
"(Serpens Caput)" which is a short acoustic blast which is much
needed after the grand destruction of the last track. If is a stunning
piece of atmospheric acoustic work with swirling electronic sounds and bells in
the background that would actually make this a great piece of music to clear
your mind to; it is that peaceful and relaxing. "The Astral
Dialogue" is next and the metal is back in full effect. This song is
a flat out metal attack, there is a twisted glamour about this beast; after the
naturalistic and organic opening two pieces, and this track can be akin to a
volcano exploding whilst surrounded by all the people of the world. It is
so good and this makes for a beautiful beginning to the album.

"Dark Matter Gods"
is next and is another epic slab of metal, but this time it is not going at the
pace of a glacier. It may start off with a hypnotic and soulful sound,
but the peddle is firmly in the ground very soon afterwards. The
pulsation of the song is stunning and it grinds across the soul like a man who
has an axe to grind against his government (which could be anyone in the world
at the moment). The power and beauty on here is of such a high quality,
that I have no shame in saying that it has replaced my favourite song of the
band. It is quite possibly the most stunning song of the year - this is eight
minutes plus of perfection. "Celestial Effigy" is the next and
whilst it may not be as jaw dropping as "Dark Matter Gods" it still
makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. This is a
great piece of dark/gothic metal and brings to mind some of the earlier work of
Paradise Lost. It shows a band in full control of all of their powers,
not afraid to lay the world to waste or create a dark fractured mirror to shine
on the world. "Cor Serpentis (The Sphere)" follows on which is
another short acoustic interlude, the placement is a welcome break to the
powerful elements of this album and shows the more reflective nature of the
band.

"Vales Beyond
Dimension" starts the final third of this album, this track is the most
Gothic of the whole album; I could imagine it as the dinner party music to a
meal at the house of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sounding like the bastard
version of the union of Paradise Lost and Sisters Of Mercy, it is perhaps the
most 'basic' of the tracks here. It is not saying that it is not a good
song, far from it; it is better than anything Paradise Lost have done for a
while (sorry PL, but you are still brilliant), but after the high water marks
that have came before hand it would have been hard to match the crush
destructive power of nature that is the first part of this album. But it
is still a brilliant song, make no mistake about that. "Plateau Of
The Ages" is the longest track on offer here, starting with that slow
atmospheric build that is the Agalloch calling card. But the difference
here is that whilst the music is undeniably heavy, it is also has a more
melodic side that an amazing fold to the usual Agalloch sound. The song
is also split almost neatly in two at around the six minute mark when they has
another slow building moment of musical genius. Ending the album is
"(Serpens Cauda)" which brings the whole album to a natural close,
the last of the three acoustic moments it is a thoughtful and inspired ending
to this album.

I think it is safe to say
that this album is quite possibly one of the most important metal albums to be
released this year, if not in the last few years. From the very first
note, this album is something really special; I will not say that it is for
everyone, I cannot see it going down well at your local neon-tax venue where
Cheryl Cole is the flavour of the minute, but as far as the more darker and melodic
side of metal goes I can honestly say that this album will be hard to beat and
with the Sleaford Mods album it is up there for album of the year. If I
write any more about this, it will shortly become a love letter to the
band. So, buy it now! Why have you not bought it yet? Seriously,
buy this now.....

Life of Agony can never be accused of taking the easy route, that is something that can be said for them. It could be the fact that the...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens